Emerging Design Talent Awarded at Graduate Preview Day 2015

The annual Graduate Preview Day, Friday 8th May, saw 28 colleges from around the UK attend and showcase the portfolios of their graduating students. Their work was reviewed by a judging panel of industry experts which included Betty Jackson CBE, fashion designer; Cassandra Stavrou, Founder of Propercorn and Ambassador for Warehouse’s Women to Watch; Charlotte Whitehead, Sales Manager British Fashion Council, Lauretta Roberts, Director of Global Fashion Awards WGSN and Sarah Penny, Editor Fashion Monitor.

The awards were presented by Simon Ward, Chief Operating Officer of the British Fashion Council:

The ‘Fashion Monitor Colleges Portfolio Award’ in association with the BFC goes to The Royal College of Arts.

The ‘WGSN Digital Portfolio Award’ in association with the BFC goes to University of Salford.

The ‘BFC Fashion Illustration Award’ in association with Fashion Monitor goes to University of Westminster.

Now in its 21st year, Graduate Preview Day highlighted a wealth of new, young and innovative British design students due to be graduating this summer. The event, which provides an invaluable networking opportunity for the colleges, was attended by representatives from ASOS, Burberry, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, River Island, Topshop, and media including The Evening Standard, Vogue Italy, Vogue USA Wallpaper and WWD.

“One of the main aims of the BFC’s Education Pillar is to support and nurture emerging talents, giving them valuable opportunities to connect with industry experts as well as allowing the members of the industry to identify the upcoming talent. This is why I am delighted that Graduate Preview Day was such a success, with an extremely high calibre of portfolios from our universities showing the breadth of new talent entering the industry.” - Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council

The Royal College of Arts wins the Fashion Monitor Colleges Portfolio Award. The judging panel felt its entry demonstrated the best overall presentation of the students’ work. The College receives two one year subscriptions to Fashion Monitor, the industry’s leading provider of contacts, news and events.

The WGSN Digital Portfolio Award recognises the increasing necessity of integrating fashion and technology and was won by University of Salford.

The winner of the BFC Fashion Illustration Award in association with Fashion Monitor, University of Westminster, will also receive two one year subscriptions which will allow the graduating students access to key industry contacts, something which is invaluable for breaking into the industry.

During the award ceremony, Simon Ward announced that the Creative Pattern Cutting Seminar, held every year to demonstrate ways of developing new and innovative ideas for design and cut, improving design development, will be named after the late Anne Tyrrell MBE, one of the UK’s fashion industry pioneers and former chair of the Graduate Preview Day’s judging panel. The next Creative Pattern Cutting Seminar will be held on Friday 20th November 2015 at Somerset House.